I am an engineer and systems scientist applying soil biogeochemistry and food systems modelling to deliver equitable outcomes, from smallholder farms in Kenya to pastoral catchments in the Waikato. Fluent in English, Spanish and Swahili.
Chemical engineer. Systems scientist. Food systems researcher. Senior Research Officer, Sustainable Nutrition Initiative, Riddet Institute, Massey University.
From Puerto Rico through California kitchens to Cornell, the Waikato and now Kenya, always community-facing. The point of the science is the people it serves.
376+ citations across soil biogeochemistry, pyrogenic organic matter, nitrogen cycling and sustainable food systems. Google Scholar.
I'm Dori, an engineer, systems scientist and researcher from Puerto Rico, now based in Aotearoa New Zealand.
I grew up bilingual in a multi-ethnic country, spent nearly a decade working through kitchens in California, then took that same drive into science. I have a chemical engineering degree, an MSc and PhD in soil science with minors in international development and mechanical engineering, and deep expertise in synchrotron spectroscopy.
I use that training to solve problems that matter, connecting molecular-scale soil chemistry to the food systems and communities that depend on it. I currently lead the Gates Foundation-funded Kenya food systems project at the Riddet Institute's Sustainable Nutrition Initiative, adapting New Zealand's KAMA national food systems model for the Kenyan context.
I invest deeply in the communities I work with. Whether co-creating food system models with Kenyan stakeholders, working with farmers in the Waikato, or mentoring students, the point of the science is the people it serves.
Three strands, from national food systems models down to the chemistry of a single mineral surface.
Project Lead on the Gates Foundation-funded Kenya food systems programme, co-created with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Adapting New Zealand's KAMA national food systems model for Kenya, building evidence-based tools for food policy transformation.
Probing molecular-level interactions between soil organics, minerals, solutes and gases using synchrotron NEXAFS spectroscopy and advanced surface techniques. Understanding how nutrients transform at mineral-organic interfaces.
Investigating how pyrogenic organic matter retains reactive nitrogen through covalent bonding, with implications for fertiliser development, ammonia pollution control and agricultural emissions reduction.
Engineering first, then a decade in kitchens, then soil science. Each step gave me a different way of looking at the same problem: how food gets from the ground to people, and who it serves.
Project Lead on the Gates Foundation-funded Kenya food systems programme, co-created with ILRI. Adapting New Zealand's KAMA national food systems model for the Kenyan context to support evidence-based nutrition policy.
Research on pastoral systems, nutrient management and environmental chemistry. Denitrifying bioreactor systems for agricultural nitrogen removal. Part of Louis Schipper's research group.
Minors in International Agriculture and Rural Development and Mechanical Engineering. NSF Fellow in Food Systems and Poverty Alleviation, working on sustainable energy and food security with smallholder farming communities in western Kenya.
Soil Science with a minor in International Agriculture and Rural Development. Molecular-level investigation of nutrient transformations between soil organics and mineral surfaces, combining fundamental chemistry with a commitment to equitable agricultural outcomes in the Global South.
Bridging engineering foundations with applied plant and soil science.
Nearly a decade working through kitchens, building a practical understanding of food systems before returning to university.
Foundation in process engineering, thermodynamics and systems thinking that continues to inform a quantitative approach to soil and food systems research.
Full publication list on Google Scholar and ORCID.
Hestrin R, Torres-Rojas D, Dynes JJ, Hook JM, Lehmann J et al.
Nature, 2019
Torres-Rojas D, Hestrin R, Lehmann J et al.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2020
Deng L, Torres-Rojas D, Burford M, Whitlow T, Lehmann J, Fisher E
Environmental Science & Technology, 2020
Krounbi L, Enders A, Torres-Rojas D, Lehmann J et al.
Environmental Science & Technology, 2020
Moghaddam R, Barkle G, Rivas A, Torres-Rojas D, Schipper L
Ecological Engineering, 2022
If you'd like to discuss food systems, soil science, community-engaged research or potential collaborations, I'd welcome hearing from you.